Increase safety and prevent accidents with non slip paint

Slips and trips are a serious problem, both at home and in the workplace. In the UK, slips and trips account for more than the third of all workplace injuries, and over 40% of accidents involve slips. If you are an employer, you have duty of care to provide a safe workplace for your employees, and are liable if you neglect it. Fortunately there is a simple remedy: a a non slip paint or non slip coating is easily applied and effective in preventing slip-caused injuries.

Stairs are the leading cause of slipping, but any floor that is wet or dirty becomes a heightened risk. Surfaces such as handrails, door handles, and tool grips can also benefit from a non slip paint. Here we will provide you with all the information you need to determine which anti slip coating solution is right for your project, and help you find the anti slip product you need.

Choosing the right type of non slip coating

Wooden surfaces can be coated with non slip rubberised paint for wood.

How you choose your non slip coating depends upon a number of factors. Non slip paintss are numerous, and many are intended for specific substrates or end uses. When choosing your paint therefore, it is paramount that you keep in mind:

Your substrate type: metal, concrete, wood, plastic, etc.

Your substrate’s environment: Is there a risk of chemical exposure, abrasion, UV radiation?

The intended end use: Will it need to withstand mechanical loads and heavy impacts, or is it for foot traffic? Is it in a setting where health and cleanliness is a concern?

Once you know exactly what you need from your coating, you need to understand the demands of each coating type. Non slip coating comes in three different types: as a separate paint and non slip additive which need to be combined, a premixed coating, and as a nano coating.

1. Coating plus a non slip additive

What it is: Anti slip properties are given to a coating by adding an aggregate such as sand, glass beads, rubber crumb, and others. The aggregate provides a rough surface which prevents slipping. Aggregate can be mixed through a coating before application, or sprinkled over a still wet first coat. If the second, it should be allowed to dry before having excess aggregate brushed away and a second coat applied on top. The aggregate comes in three grades: fine, medium, and coarse, in order of increasing anti slip strength.

Recommended for: Heavy industrial-use flooring to kitchen floors, aggregate is a flexible material. However, which aggregate you choose will affect which coating you can use: glass beads and synthetic aggregate can be combined with acrylic coatings as well as resin coatings (epoxy, urethane, polyaspartic and polyurea), whereas silica sand, aluminium oxide, coloured quartz and flint silica aggregates can only be used with resin coatings. However, adding your own aggregate gives you control over the result.

2. Pre-mixed non slip coating

What it is: The simplest of the non slip coatings, these products come with aggregate pre-mixed, either as a two- or single-component rubberised paint systems, or create a rough textured surface as the coating dries. These coatings are durable, water and oil resistant, and come in epoxy, polyurethane varieties. They are often divided into categories based on specific need; Offshore (corrosion resistant non slip paint for metal surfaces), Industrial (chemical and abrasion resistant coatings) and Commercial (aesthetically appealing non slip coatings).

Appropriate substrates: There are specific products for specific substrates; this option is suitable for all substrates, but you need to choose the appropriate coating. For a breakdown of anti slip coatings by substrate, visit our anti slip pages for concrete, wood, and metal.

3. Anti slip nano coating

What it is: A non slip coating based on nanotechnology uses the numerous benefits of nano coatings and adds one more by making them non slip, too. A relatively new process, the non slip coating with nanotechnology provides a textured surface on a scale so small it is virtually unnoticeable, but which actually becomes even more non slip when it is wet. These coatings are also durable, waterproof, abrasion resistant, long-lasting, low-maintenance, and non-toxic.

Recommended for: Applications which require a clear, glossy finish and very thin coating profile. Nano non slip coatings can be used for interior and exterior applications including entryways and ramps, in food preparation areas, in wet-prone areas like spas, swimming pools, and leisure centres.

Appropriate substrates: All.

Non slip floor paint in the UK – products, prices, services, and more

Anti slip floor paint is available from suppliers across the UK. Below is a table outlining different non slip paint varieties, as well their use and prices. If you would like any more information about non slip floor paint for your project, our experts are here to help. Get in contact through the “Request a quote” button at the bottom of the article and use our 100% free service.

Non slip nano coating companies operating in the UK include Nano-Effect and Halo Surfaces. These products are not available for direct purchase, but are applied by trained contractors. The Nano-Effect nano coating treatment will cost about £15 per m2 for areas of 500m² and more. For more information about nano coating, contact us!

Designed to be spread into the last coat, concentration varies by requirements

Rust-Oleum Non Skid Additive

Flint aggregate in fine and medium

Intended for use with epoxy paints and industrial flooring

£15/kg

50g/m2 when spread sparingly

UK standards for measuring the slip resistance of your flooring

Assessing the slip resistance of your flooring, and installing a non slip coating will help employers and duty holders avoid risks

The slip resistance of flooring needs to comply with specific standards and a non slip paint can help achieve the certain level of resistance. In the UK, these standards are the German National Standards (upon which aggregate and anti slip floor paint manufacturers base their product ratings) and the pendulum test, used to determine the “slipperiness” of a floor. The pendulum test results in exact values (Pendulum Test Values or PTVs) and value ranges are ascribed for various flooring requirements.

The Health and Safety Executive released this helpful flooring slip resistance assessment guide; it outlines the process for assessing the slip resistance of flooring, how the tests work, how to understand the results of the pendulum test, and what they mean for your floor. For employers and dutyholders, this guide will help assessing slip risks in workplaces and interpreting flooring manufacturers’ test data. This should allow you to make an informed decision in choosing new floors or applying a non slip coating to make sure your floor complies with the slip resistance regulations.

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